Mathematics

4 - The Man With The Golden Thigh: Pythagoras

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Peter discusses the Pre-Socratic philosopher Pythagoras, as well as Pythagoreanism and the role of mathematics in ancient philosophy.

8 - You Can't Get There From Here: Zeno and Melissus

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The paradoxes of Zeno and the arguments of Melissus develop the ideas of Parmenides and defend his Eleatic monism.

51- The Next Generation: the Followers of Plato and Aristotle

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Peter wraps up Plato and Aristotle by discussing their followers: Speusippus and Xenocrates (the “Old Academy”), and the polymath Theophrastus.

78 - Middle Men: the Platonic Revival

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Pioneering thinkers Eudorus, Alcinous, and Numenius fuse Pythagoreanism with Platonism and pave the way for Plotinus.

86 - Serafina Cuomo on Ancient Mathematics

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How did the mathematics of figures like Euclid and Archimides relate to ancient philosophy? Peter finds out in an interview with Serafina Cuomo.

96 - Dominic O'Meara on Neoplatonism

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Dominic O'Meara speaks with Peter about political philosophy and mathematics in Neoplatonism.

279. Quadrivial Pursuits: the Oxford Calculators

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Bradwardine and other thinkers based at Oxford make breakthroughs in physics by applying mathematics to motion.

286. On the Money: Medieval Economic Theory

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Changing ideas about money, just price, and usury, up to the time of Buridan, Oresme, and Gregory of Rimaini.

322. Do the Math: Science in the Palaiologan Renaissance

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Mathematics and the sciences in Byzantium, focusing on scholars of the Palaiologan period like Blemmydes and Metochites.

361. The Measure of All Things: Renaissance Mathematics and Art

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The humanist study of Pythagoras, Archimedes and other ancient mathematicians goes hand in hand with the use of mathematics in painting and architecture.

363. Man of Discoveries: Girolamo Cardano

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The polymath Girolamo Cardano explores medicine, mathematics, philosophy of mind, and the interpretation of dreams.

374. Opposites Attract: Nicholas of Cusa

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The radical negative theology of Nicholas of Cusa, and his hope of establishing peace between the religions of the world.

375. Paul Richard Blum on Nicholas of Cusa

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Learned ignorance, coincidence of opposites and religious peace: Paul Richard Blum discusses the central ideas of Nicholas Cusanus.

393. The World Doesn’t Revolve Around You: Copernicus

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How revolutionary was the Copernican Revolution?

395. Music of the Spheres: Johannes Kepler

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Kepler combines Brahe's observations, Copernicus' astronomy, and Platonist metaphysics.

404. Robert Goulding on Peter Ramus

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A chat with Ramus expert Robert Goulding on the role of mathematics in Ramist philosophy, not to mention some juicy academic quarrels in Paris.

433. Nature’s Mystery: Science in Renaissance England

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How scientists of the Elizabethan age anticipated the discoveries and methods of the Enlightenment (without necessarily publishing them).

436. Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores: Robert Fludd

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Our last figure of the English Renaissance undertakes daring investigations of chemistry, medicine, agriculture, and cosmology – and gets accused of magic and Rosicrucianism.